In fact, it was aimed at a very specific target in Iran -- the nation's secretive nuclear refining facilities. And after infecting over 60,000 personal computers in Iran, it reached the facilities.

The U.S. and Israeli reportedly used a computer virus to sabotage Iran's growing nuclear program -- a halfway successful effort that did wreak some havoc at Iran's processing facilities. [Image Source: CBS]

In the summer of 2010 it spun hundreds of centrifuges -- produced by German electronics giant Siemens -- to their breaking points. It was a major setback for Iran's nuclear program. Unsurprisingly Iran -- which insists that its nuclear program was intended for peaceful and not weapons-making purposes -- was quick to lash out at "Western spies" for the sabotage effort.

But details that have emerged since have proved that their is likely truth in those claims, as evidence points to the U.S. and Israeli jointly developing the malware, possibly with other allies.

II. Mission Success? Or a Darker Reality?

Stuxnet seemed a very effective attack -- even if the eventual implication of U.S. and Israeli involvement was a public relation setback for the alleged authors. But ultimately, it did not succeed in permanently destroying Iran's nuclear program. Today the U.S. believes that Iran not only has nuclear power -- it is thought to be close to possessing one or more nuclear weapons.

And aside from not truly achieving its intended long-term effect, the decision to release Stuxnet may have much more dire consequences. The source code for the worm has recently been decompiled and is floating around on hacker sites, according to a new 60 Minutes report by CBS Corp. (CBS).

III. War 2.0: U.S. May See Its Own Source Code Turned Against it

In its primetime special, CBS reporters argue that releasing the worm may have been akin to Pandora of Greek mythology opening a box that let loose chaos and destruction into her world. The report states that various groups ranging from independent malicious hackers to white hat security researchers to foreign intelligence agencies are all racing to adapt the highly virulent, highly successful worm for use in new attacks.

Such attacks could destroy machinery at sewage plants, electrical grid locations, traffic signals, or other applications. Such critical infrastructure often is air-gapped, but is sensitive to connections during routine maintenance. As the air-gapping (not having a physical internet connection to the outside world) gives a traditional sense of security, these types of devices may have less robust security mechanisms, and hence be more vulnerable to mechanical or electrical overdriving.

Only time will tell whether a Stuxnet variant will come back to bite the U.S. But given the success of Anonymous, LulzSec, and other hacker collectives in openly defying and attacking the U.S. government digitally, it's not infeasible to imagine such groups looking to cripple vital U.S. infrastructure in the near future. Or alternatively, hostile nations like Iran or North Korea could return fire, using the U.S. and Israel's own code against them.

quote: The last time Persia (nowadays Iran) terrorized or was agressive against a Neigbour was in the 18th Century.

Umm this is 100% absolutely false. Are you serious? So the Arab-Israeli war, where Iran and 3 other countries attacked Israel in 1948 was in the 18th Century? What about Israel being attacked in 1973 on a Jewish holiday? Since then there's been never ending aggression. Both sides have their reasons, but let's be clear, if you support Iran in this conflict you're clearly on the side of bigots and racists. Israel's only crime is being a home for Jews.

Please purge your mind of whatever bullcrap you picked up in public school or MSNBC and educate yourself on this:

" Before the adoption by the United Nations of Resolution 181 in November 1947 and the declaration of the State of Israel in May 1948, several Arab countries adopted discriminatory measures against their local Jewish populations. The status of Jewish citizens in Arab states worsened dramatically during the 1948 Israeli-Arab conflict. Major anti-Jewish riots erupted throughout the Arab World in December 1947, and Jewish communities were hit particularly hard in Syria and Aden, with hundreds of dead and injured "

" Over 700,000 Jews emigrated to Israel between 1948 and 1952, with approximately 285,000 of them from Arab countries. "

" On October 6, 1973, Syria and Egypt staged a surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. The Israeli military were caught off guard and unprepared, and took about three days to fully mobilize.[49][50] The Yom Kippur War accommodated indirect confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union. When Israel had turned the tide of war, the USSR threatened military intervention. The United States, wary of nuclear war, secured a ceasefire on October 25 "

Israel has quite literally been fighting for their survival, outnumbered, against multiple foes in a decades long struggle! Their very way of life, and the only Jewish population in the Middle East, is constantly being threatened. I don't know where you people get this idea that they are the aggressors in this. Can you not tell right from wrong?

quote: Since then it was always Iran that has been attacked.

Proved false. And I only touched the tip of the iceberg. It took a whole 2 minutes to disprove this claim. It seems like you just blurted stuff out without knowing the facts. This is called ignorance.

quote: I'll jump on the 'Lets-Bomb-Iran' bandwagon

Where have I suggested anything of the sort in this discussion? I'm NOT talking about that.

quote: The British Mandate over Palestine was due to expire on 15 May, but Jewish leadership led by Ben-Gurion declared independence on 14 May (because 15 May was a Shabbat). The State of Israel declared itself as an independent nation, and was quickly recognized by the United States, Iran, the Soviet Union, and many other countries.

quote: The Egyptian Navy managed to enforce a blockade at Bab-el-Mandeb. Eighteen million tons of oil had been transported yearly from Iran to Israel through the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb.

and

quote: According to Admiral Ze'ev Almog, the Israeli Navy escorted tankers from the Gulf to Eilat throughout the war, and Israeli tankers sailing from Iran were directed to bypass the Red Sea.

Given the geography of the Middle East and the fact that the religious hard liners didn't come into power until the Iranian Revolution much later, I'd be curious to see what evidence there is to the contrary.